Monthly Archives: May 2011

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The RWS Diana 54 recoilless air rifle, also called the Air King, is big, beautiful, powerful and accurate.

Today, we’ll test the RWS Diana model 54 Air King for accuracy. Before I show you the targets, however, let me mention a couple of things.

Some observations
First, I shot this rifle for today’s test rested directly on a sandbag. There was no artillery hold. As I mentioned in the earlier reports, the Air King anti-recoil system acts like an artillery hold and is able to do so perfectly. There’s no reason to rest this gun on the palm of your hand. That’s not because the rifle is recoilless, but rather because of how the rifle handles recoil.

The BSF S70 was the deluxe version of the BSF 55-series of spring-piston air rifles. It’s the grandfather of the Beeman R9.

First, I want to wish all my U.S. readers a Happy Memorial Day. Please take a moment to remember the friends and family members who gave their lives for our sake.

Today’s report will have some of you talking and thinking for weeks! Kevin will find that he is in a love-hate relationship with my BSF S70 rifle, and Herb will postulate three alternative universes from the data I’ve collected. Rikib will attempt to occupy one of them!

When we last left the Rogue, it was shooting groups on the range. Let’s return there today and learn some more of the rifle’s features.

Power
We’ve discussed how the shooter can program the rifle for three bullet weight ranges (100, 145 and 170 grains) and three power levels (low, medium and high). Let’s look at some other things the shooter can do with the power of the gun. For example, if high power just isn’t enough, you can program the Discharge power setting. It’s above the High power setting and was explained to me by Ed Schultz of Crosman as the number 11 on a rock-band amplifier that tops out at 10.

This gun’s last report had lots of good comments from owners and from those who have been researching it. I think the most powerful feature it has is the fact that it fires from the open bolt. When you shoot, a heavy mass reciprocates in mock recoil. It’s the difference between an M3 grease gun that jumps all over the place when it fires and an HK MP5 that barely recoils at all. This Mini UZI CO2 BB Submachine Gun by Cybergun really jumps around.

I can see why people are impressed by its performance in full-auto. It feels so realistic with that heavy steel bolt working back and forth on every shot.

Why do shot groups move from side to side when the scope setting doesn’t change?

This question does not include different pellets impacting at different places on a target at the same range, which is caused by the individual flight pattern of each type of pellet. However, I’ll address that question before moving on with the first one.

Today’s question was suggested by Jay in VA, who really wants to know why different pellets or bullets shoot to different places, with respect to left and right. Jay, that’s caused by how each pellet or bullet is stabilized. Back around the turn of the 20th century, Dr. F. W. Mann conducted an experiment in which he locked a barreled action in a 3,000-lb. vice (his “Shooting Gibralter” rest, a concrete pier sunk 40 inches below ground level and extending about 30 inches above, and fitted with a cast iron lockdown rifle rest) and then fired the “gun” at 100 yards in still air. After each shot, Dr. Mann rotated the barreled action 90 degrees, until he had shot it in a complete rotation. His lockdown mount was constructed to allow this rotation, so the barrel was never unlocked from the rest.

Today is accuracy day for the Crosman Silhouette PCP pistol. It’s been a month since I last tested this air pistol, so you may not remember all the details. This is a remake for 2011 of the Silhouette pistol Crosman brought out in 2010. I tested that pistol for you also and did four reports on it back before all the bad things happened. You can read those reports here.

That gun was a fine one, but Crosman decided to add the new Marauder pistol-style trigger and they made a few other small changes in the process. What they ended up with is an accurate pistol that also has a fine trigger. While this pistol is on the pricey side and is really meant for the sport of air pistol silhouette competition, it also serves well as an accurate air pistol, or as a carbine for general shooting if you attach the optional shoulder stock.

Today, we’ll start a look at an unusual airgun from Crosman. It’s getting to be summer around the country, and the summer guns are CO2 guns, so today’s choice of the Crosman Outdsoorsman 2250XE is just in time. This .22 caliber CO2 carbine wouldn’t exist if Crosman hadn’t reinvented itself at the beginning of the 21st century.

Dennis Quackenbush and I sat on both sides of Crosman’s former president and CEO during the Airgun Breakfast at the NRA Annual Meetings in Kansas City, back in May 2001. We were all chatting about the airgun business, and I happened to mention that Dennis made a good living making and selling upgrades and accessories to what was at that time a $39 Crosman CO2 pistol. The executive was surprised, thinking that no one would want to spend money on such a cheap airgun, but Dennis floored him when he said, “You sell them the gun for $39 and then I sell them $125 worth of accessories for it.” From his facial expression, I don’t think he really believed me.

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